Hillside Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals

I happened to come across this charity while looking through Petfinders, not really planning on another cat, since I already had six. What caught my eye was a picture of a cat with the word URGENT in big letters next to the picture. This got my curiosity up, so I called to find out what the story was with this cat. I was told that sometimes when an owner surrenders a cat that has lived as a housepet for years, it can be very difficult for that cat as opposed to one who comes in off the streets. I imagine it is the sense of abandonment that is very painful especially for an older cat. Well, since I was going to be in the general vicinity, I thought I would drop in and see this cat. Well, I was really shocked to see how many cats they had in this place. Wow! There are hundreds of cats there, I think. Since it is a "No-kill" shelter, I stopped to think about how many lives they have saved. Let me tell you...they have saved lots of cats. Well, now let me tell you about Jack. I didn't really get a good look at Jack because they already had him in my carrier when they brought him out to meet me. I was a bit nervous because the thought of seven cats was a bit overwhelming, but somehow I felt compelled to take Jack. Jack is approximately 5 years old, an owner surrender. He is an orange and white Maine Coon. I didn't realize until I got outside how heavy he was. When I got home I found out he was Extra-Large. I could barely carry him. For the first 12 days, I did not see Jack eat, althought I always had dry food and water available and offered him wet food twice a day. I took him to the vet several times and we were just about to have him admitted so we could get some food into him one way or another when I finally managed to get him to eat with a syringe full of food. Shortly after this, I found out what was wrong with my Jack, besides all of his physical problems like his upper respiratory issues. What Jack had been missing all along was his "belly rubs." When he found out he could get the same belly rubs here that he was used to at his old home, then Jack seemed to blossom. Now Jack is the most affectionate cat I have ever met, and I have met many cats. I pet him and he pets me. I lay down and start watching T.V. and all of a sudden I feel this paw petting me as I am laying there. He head-butts me all day and night on weekends when I have time to relax. He is so good with my other cats, especially my oldest one. I can not imagine my life without my Jack now. I am so thankful that somebody there at Hillside realized that Jack was shutting down and needed a home immediately to cope with the trauma of being abandoned. I try to donate to Hillside as often as I can because they desperately need what-
ever help they can get because they are saving so many homeless cats, dogs and whatever else they take there. The more help they get, the better they can provide for them. By the way, for a big cat, Jack has the tiniest "Meow"...it's the cutest thing.